The present invention relates to medication dispensing and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for removing medication units from card dispensers therefor.
It is a relatively common practice at the present time for pharmacies to place a supply of medication units such as capsules or pills in pockets of a dispenser card from which they may be removed as required by tearing or breaking a covering sheet material. Such card dispensers also permit ready counting of the units by the pharmacy and by the users.
In some instances, the card dispenser will be the supply of such medication for a single patient for a period of time, or it may comprise a supply to be used for several patients for a lesser period of time. The use of such card dispensers is fairly common in the instance of nursing homes and the like which rely upon an outside pharmacist to provide the medication for various patients, and the name or names of the patients may be printed upon the card. At the facility, a registered nurse or practical nurse will remove the medication units from the pockets of the card dispenser as required by breaking the covering material.
In the event that an unused or partially used dispenser card is no longer needed due to discharge, death or transfer of the patient or due to a change in medication, it is customary to remove the medication from the card and destroy it. In some states where regulations permit, the removed medication may be used for other patients requiring such medication.
Apparatus has been developed which uses a platen with projections thereon, and the platen is moved downwardly against the pockets containing the medication units to break the pockets in which they are sealed so as to release them. However, such apparatus is relatively large and costly, and generally requires that all of the medication units be removed from the card dispenser at the same time.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus for removing in a simple manner all or only some of the medication units from a card dispenser.
It is also an object to provide such apparatus in which the medication units may be removed from the pockets in which they are seated without substantial injury thereto.
Another object is to provide such an apparatus which may be fabricated relatively economically, which is relatively light weight, and which is adapted to a range of sizes of card dispensers.
Still another object is to provide a novel method for removing medication units from such card dispensers, which method is simple and effective and which may be employed to remove only a limited number of the medication units from the card dispenser.